That other Highland kid, who apparently knocked an arrow out of the air (though that was probably just an exaggeration,) was there, too, sitting on the chair that blocked the prison door. Kendar saw, as he neared the prison, that both the kid and the girl who was in the call were bright red. He snickered inwardly. (Teenagers...)

The boy tensed upon seeing him and inched towards his weapons.

"Hold up, kid," Kendar said quickly, "Just getting the salt."

As he walked past into the storage room, the boy relaxed slightly but didn't move his hands away from his weapons. Geeze, that kid was protective.

While Kendar was in the storage room he thought about the girl who was supposedly the Princess of Highland. He decided he was somewhat disappointed. Princesses aren't supposed to wear the same kind of dress as every other female in the country. She didn't even look that special, besides maybe the hair. Not such a big deal after all. What a disappointment!

Jillia nodded in acknowledgment of that and he went to look. Once she no longer heard him, she sighed deeply. What on earth was she going to do now? Her presence endangered the entire fort, despite what Makoto might say. But even if they decided to let her go, Ruka would probably manipulate events to suit his wishes. Oh, life would be easier were Ruka simply bloodthirsty. But the world was cursed instead with a man who was powerful, clever, *and* bloodthirsty. As his sister, she was *supposed* to have some kind of influence on him, however small. Maybe she'd failed in that, and this was the consequence.

As those thoughts ran through her head, the events since last she slept caught up to her. Her eyelids began to feel heavy and droop, and soon she had fallen into a troublesome sleep, full of blood, and fire, and stars.

It seemed so foolish to him, blaming all for the sins of a few. Blame belonged only to the responsible parties, as Genkaku had taught him long ago.

And Makoto Gentaro had no doubt where the blame lay in the massacre of the Unicorn Brigade and the ensuing war. {Bloody Ruka,} he thought. {And Rowd. And Ruka's White Wolves - oh, apt name. A pack of bloodthirsty animals, they are... they helped Ruka slaughter their own people! I mean to see each one suffer Justice for that,} he seethed in his mind.

Had he seen his expression at the time, Makoto would not have been surprised that a full squad of soldiers quickly made way for him on the balcony stairs.

As it was, he hardly noticed, he was so deep in his building anger.

At any other time, he might have mentioned the spectacle the boy had been involved in, as he had seen the whole thing from the window of his room. However, he was just a bit preoccupied, as was mentioned, so he didn't.

"It's the princess, sir," Makoto began, with such a grim expression on his face that Viktor immediately assumed the worst.

"Don't tell me she's escaped!?" Viktor roared, but the shock on Makoto's face cut him off.

"Sir?!" the boy asked. He shook his head, his expression clearing. "No, sir... but I think you should come down and talk to her. Sir Flik, too. I... As odd as it may seem, sir, I think she's on our side."

That took some explaining: Makoto did just that as the two collected Flik and headed down to the cells. And he handed Flik a half-cape that had somehow appeared in Makoto's room - it seemed to belong to the Blue Lightning... though how it got to his room Makoto wasn't sure.

"I have no idea. If we keep her here, she's a threat. If we let her go, she's a threat." I explained to him. "Any move we make could possibly bounce back against us."

"Let's cut off her head!" Viktor bellowed deeply and started to laugh.

I stopped and glared at him until he awkwardly stopped. "This is no matter to joke about." I explained to him, continuing to head towards the cell. Hmph, Makoto was glaring at him too - even the Highland boy has more sense than Viktor sometimes.

If it weren't so tense right now, I might laugh at that. As it is, I frown.

"Unlock it." I ordered the guard. He did so, and Viktor, Makoto, and I went into the cell.

"Princess Jillia, you'll have to forgive these crude surroundings." I explained to her. "We're not exactly sure what to do with you at this point."

"I understand." She said softly.

"I'm Flik, the leader of the bunch of mercs, and this is Viktor." I pointed to him. He grinned and waved, as if she was 50 miles away. "The boy who saved you is Makoto, but you two have already met."

"Hello, Flik and Viktor."

I exhaled and leaned against the wall, rubbing my forehead. "Do you understand why you were taken prisoner?"

"I have no idea. Do you?"

I was taken back by the question. I stopped rubbing my forehead and looked at her.

"Don't talk to him that way!" Viktor bellowed.

"Calm down, Viktor. It's alright." I put my hand down from my face and started to gaze at her. "Why were you crossing Jowston territory?"

"To get back to Highland. I can't back to Highland without crossing Jowston."

Well, ask a stupid question I guess. I'm not exactly the best interogator.

"Let me try and explain my situation to you." I stood up straight. "If I let you go, you go back to Highland, say something about you were held prisoner of the merc fort, and Jowston and Highland go into all out war." I paused briefly. "If I keep you prisoner, it's only a matter of time before Highland attacks anyway."

"That's not true!" Makoto blurted out. "If you let her go, she won't say anything!"

"I expect you to say that, Makoto, you're a Highlander as well." I retorted. "There was a companion with Jillia anyway. It's a matter of time before he rats us out if he's not caught."

Makoto's look definitely expressed dissatisfaction to that remark.

"Leave us alone for a while."

"The hell are you talking about, Flik?" Viktor asked.

"I said leave us alone."

Viktor and Makoto looked at each other and shrugged. They walked out, taking the jail guard with them.

I looked at Jillia directly. She definitely stuck out like a sore thumb in this place. A princess did not belong with a bunch of unruly mercenaries. "What do you want from us?"

Zoning out, I didn't listen to her response. I continued to stare at her. Her long hair, her innocent eyes, her subtle smile...

...I hadn't noticed such features since...

What!?

"Uh...Okay, thank you." I stammered. I exited the cell and climbed up the stairs. Viktor and Makoto were standing there. "Take over for me." I told them, and went upstairs.

I heard a subtle "huh?" as I went up.

I honestly don't know what came over me. I would NEVER compare anyone to her. She was the one, and only. Why the hell did I do that?

Nonetheless, Jillia was someone to be admired. Just... not by me. She wasn't as attractive as her, but I see signs of the same courage that she posessed in Jillia. After all, coming to Jowston for help against Highland certainly is a high-risk situation.

I don't know what else to write, as this situation makes me awkward just to think about, so I'll just stop for now and simply write this:

I will always be loyal to her.

"What do you want from us?" said Flik after making Makoto and Viktor leave.

Jillia blinked in mild surprise. From them? What could she possibly want of these mercenaries? Revenge? Freedom? "Peace," she answered shortly, looking him in the eyes, gauging his reaction. It was quite... different that anything she might have expected. Had he spaced out? Testing that idea, she added, "And a pet goat."

Half a second later, "Uh... Okay, thank you." He then left.

{Odd...}

Before she could ponder that, Makoto and Viktor were back.

Viktor snorted. "Only sometimes, kid. You ain't known him that long," he noted, then looked to Jillia. "So, princess, our problem is what to do with you, and how..."

Jillia sighed. "Logically, I'd think that would be up to you and Flik. I don't have any plans of running away as soon as I'm left alone, if you're wondering, unlike some," she finished, glancing at Makoto as she did. He blushed.

Viktor burst out laughing, then controlled himself. "Well, he ain't planning to run anymore anyway, but I get your point. Problem is, you're a real hot potato right now. We keep you, and Ruka has the perfect excuse to storm the fort. We let you go, and let Ruka catch you, he can put you away and claim we did stuff to you. What we need is a way to turn this around...." the big man sighed.

Makoto blinked, then sat up in sudden inspiration. "Maybe we have one."

Viktor shook his head. "Huh?"

Makoto seemed to be about to burst from his idea. "Don't you get it? She and I solve each other's problems! If you can get us through the pass into Highland, she and I can reveal the truth about what Ruka did..." he trailed off, looking at the princess.

Jillia shook her head in denial of the notion. "I thought of that a little. There're a bunch of problems, though. Ruka doesn't like me much, so he'd have no problem branding me traitor in some way or another. And you haven't seen Highland since what happened in the Unicorn Brigade. Everyone I saw was crying out for war." Her thoughts strayed back to the time in Kyaro for a moment, then her memory latched onto the image of one angry girl calling for war, to avenge her brother. Suddenly her eyes went *very* wide as she realized the girl's likely identity.

Makoto noticed. "Jillia? What's wrong?" he asked.

Viktor did a doubletake. "*Jillia!?* Not 'Princess!?'" Realizing his slip, Makoto returned to blushing.

Jillia bit her lip. "I.. I was at Kyaro right after everything happened. I was the one who had to tell everyone that the camp had been wiped out. And there was a girl there who was one of the first to demand war. I think... I think she must have been your.. sister..." she told her childhood friend.

Makoto blinked and looked up. "Huh? Oh, no, not Nanami!" he cried.

Viktor looked from one to the other. "Huh? Nanami? Who the hell?" he asked.

Makoto promptly whapped him in the back of the head. "HEY! There's royalty in the room! Watch the language!!" he chastised the larger man.

Viktor snorted. "Yeah, sure, Mr. 'Jillia,'" he said while headlocking the Highland boy. "Now explain."

Over the next few minutes, the situation was explained - Viktor learned about Nanami, and Makoto came to understand the odds against his idea a bit better. "OK, so I guess the return is out, for now. But we have to get Jillia OUT of here, Viktor," the crestfallen boy stated.

Viktor grinned. "There you go with the 'Jillia' again!"

Makoto blushed, but pressed on. "I'm serious!! Not just 'cause of us, either - Ruka'll want her dead if he finds out she's been talking with us!!" he protested, then turned to the princess. "That reminds me - your companion, the man who was with you. Who was he? I mean, would he give us a hand if we found him?"

Jillia remembered who her companion had been, and what he had done to the boy in front of her, and paled slightly. "I.. don't think so.."

Makoto blinked at her reaction. "Huh? Why? I mean, was he one of Ruka's men?" Pausing, he shook his head. "Never mind. Viktor, do you think we could get her safe passage to Greenhill or somewhere? I can't see the war coming there unless the whole city-state is in trouble..."

Viktor thought for a moment. "Huh, not that bad an idea. Any contributions, princess?" he asked, bowing mockingly and ignoring Makoto's annoyed yelp.

Jillia sighed. "Moving me won't help you any, you know. Unless you act like the sort of mercenaries I've heard stories of.." She frowned.

Makoto sheepishly replied, "Well, yeah, but you'd be in *less* danger, at least... and I don't want to see you hurt," he finished, scuffing his toe in the dirt.

Viktor said, "Aww, how sweet," with a huge grin on his face.

Makoto scowled at him "Shaddap!" he cried, whapping the bear on the head again. Viktor headlocked him in reply, and the two scuffled for a moment.

Jillia struggled with her laughter, then cleared her throat, causing the two to separate. "I know you don't want me in any danger, but the possibilities could easily get ugly. Ruka wouldn't even need the inspiration of a few dozen teenage martyrs. I'm fairly sure that when I left Highland, he didn't intend for me to come back alive. After all, why else would he send me with Highland's most incompetent general? If Alen hadn't come along after Gregminster, I probably wouldn't have made it this far." She looked levelly at Viktor. "I doubt he would mind if you did 'lop off my head'."

"'Highland's most incompetent general??'" Makoto quoted. "I didn't think Agares *had* any incompetent generals."

At the same time, Viktor said, "You were with Alen? Where is he? We could sure use his help!"

Jillia had to look back and forth between the two for a second to sort out the comments. "You know Alen? Well, the last time I saw him was on the crossroads to the south of here. He was going along the western road, and I don't know where to," she answered Viktor. Turning to Makoto, she stated flatly, "The other Highlander who was with me was Rowd, okay?" and struggled to maintain her composure.

Makoto's reaction was immediate. He sprang to his feet, knocking over the crate he had settled upon, yelling "**ROWD!?!?**", his face a mask of rage.

Viktor calmly whacked him in the back of the head. "Cool it! You'll scare the princess."

Makoto blinked and took a deep breath. "Uh, yeah, right..." he commented, struggling to calm down.

Viktor sighed. "Look, this is getting us nowhere. Princess Jillia, I hope we can keep you as a guest for a few more days. When we can arrange for an escort, we'll get you to safety in Greenhill, where hopefully you and Lady Teresa will get along fine." He paused. "If anyone has a problem with this, say so now..."

Jillia nodded. "All right. I have no arguments."

Makoto took another two deep breaths before replying. "Uh, that sounds good." With a glance at the princess, he added, "I'm sorry about blowing up like that, Jillia."

Viktor grinned. "There you go again!" He handily dodged the now-expected swing and cuffed Makoto again, nearly toppling the boy. "And be more careful."

Makoto rubbed the back of his head with one hand. "Ow! Um, anyway, I'd like to volunteer for the escort party... if that's ok, of course..." he added with a shy glance at Jillia.

Jillia simply nodded, and the two mercenaries took their leave.

There's a belief in Warrior's Village that when a person dies, their soul becomes a star in the sky. Sometimes, I venture outside on the roof to look at them, trying to find which one is hers.

But it was cloudy. I couldn't see her. Or rather, she didn't want to see me. To even think about someone else was the ultimate betrayal, and I'm pretty sure she knew that.

For the rest of the day, I tried to reason with myself about what I did. After all, it was natural, and surely she wouldn't mind. I almost convinced myself that.

Almost.

"HEY!"

I turned around to see Viktor's head sticking out of my window.

"What the hell are you doing up there?" He tried to get a better view.

"Killing a hive of termites." I blatently lied. I got up and picked up my sword. Walking over to my window, I could see Viktor was practically stuck in the damn thing. I stood there on the roof as he struggled to pull himself in. With a heave and a grunt, he did so, but not after cracking the window pane.

I sighed. I was not in the mood for his antics tonight. I climbed into the window.

"So, did you get them?" He asked as I landed.

"Get what?"

He raised an eyebrow. "The termites."

"Oh yeah, got them. No problem."

He turned his head. "Why'd you run off this afternoon when you were talking to the princess?"

"I was sick, I had to go puke." I placed my sword belt on the table, and started taking off my cape. "Must have been some bad meat or something."

Viktor scratched his head. "You're sure are acting wierd tonight. How about we go down to the bar and get us a couple of drinks and you can talk to me about it?"

"Not tonight Viktor. I'm tired." I sighed.

"Come on, a couple of drinks will solve your problems."

"Viktor." I looked at him. "Not tonight."

This must have been wierd for him. We virtually kept no secrets between us. He started to back off, but not without raising an eyebrow. "Okay".

He opened the door, but stopped. He opened his mouth, as if about to say something, but didn't. Viktor simply shook his head and walked out.

I blew out the torch illuminating my room.

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"Hero", "Jillia", "Flik" and "Viktor" are (C) Konami This chapter was posted on May 22, 2000